The legislative joint committee tackling the 2005 budget has agreed to endorse a $218 million spending level for the current fiscal year, Senate President Joaquin Adriano said.<\/p>\n
He said the $218-million package includes $1 million for retroactive payment for Rota and Tinian government employees as well as $4.1 million for within-grade increase of public employees.<\/p>\n
Adriano, in an interview Friday, said that the conference committee, co-chaired by Rep. Oscar Babauta and Sen. Joseph Mendiola, has completed its final report. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just waiting for them to transmit it to us. I\u2019ve got the information that everything has been bargained or compromised. All we need to do now is to get the conference committee out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said all other agencies keep their 2003 level as earlier endorsed by the Senate. <\/p>\n
Mendiola, who is on medical leave, is represented by Sen. Diego Songao in the panel, serving as alternate co-chairman.<\/p>\n
Meantime, Adriano said that the House of Representatives should better introduce a piece of legislation providing for the $50 resident worker registration increase to ensure that a $1.5 million projected revenue from it can be appropriated.<\/p>\n
The conference panel hesitated to include the projected amount citing a possible litigation from some business groups questioning the imposition of $50 labor fee increase.<\/p>\n
House members said there is a question whether the labor fee increase from $225 to $275 was a fee or a tax.<\/p>\n
The House insisted that since the $225 figure was legislated, it could not be touched without a legislative approval. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhy don\u2019t they (House) introduce legislation and pass it and send it to us rather than keep on saying we have to do it by law,\u201d Adriano said.<\/p>\n
The $218-million appropriation came following the administration\u2019s submission of $5.1 million in additional projected revenues for FY05.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the House only approved a $213 million spending level from the $226 million originally requested by the administration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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